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D. E. DONALDSON.

COMBINATION CORSET COVER AND BRASSlERE/ APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 29,1916.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I rveraFor Dom EDorza ldeowg j d mm TNTTED STATE DORA E. DONALDSON, FMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

COMBINATIQN CORSET-COVER. AND

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

Application filed September 29, 1916. Serial No. 122,875.

oZZ whom it may concern: 3e it known that 1, Dean E. DONALDSON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at lt'iinneapolis, 1n thecounty of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Combination Corset-Covers and Brassieres, ofwhich the following is a specification.

"v'ly invention relates to improvements in combination corset covers andbrassieres and has for its object to provide a corset cover formed witha continuous shoulderstrap connected with the body of the garment andadapted to be adjustably attached to said. body so as to vary the sizeof the armholes, the attachment being made at the inside of theshoulder-strap, thus allowing freedom of movement over the arms andpreventing binding. The body is connected or combined with front closuremembers, preferably of gauze or similar material, which are permanentlyattached to the body are adapted to be fastened in confining relationupon the form of the wearer beneath the ornamental front portion of thecorset cover, which is loosely secured over it so as to conceal theconfining members and produce the desired fullness and softening ofiines beneath the waist or dress of the wearer. An especial feature ofmy invention consists in the provision of means for the confining memberor brassiere portion for connecting the upper portion of the same to theshoulder-strap of an underwai'st or other under garment where the sameis worn, in which case the shoulderstraps of the corset cover will notneed to be attached to the body of the corset cover, and. the armopenings will be such as entirely to avoid any confining action.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear inconnection with the detailed. description thereof and are particularlypointed out in the claims.

Tn the drawings, illustrating the application of my invention in oneform,

ure 1 is a part diagrammatic plan b View of the inside of the garment.Fig. 2 shows the garment in position with the ceniining members closedand the orna mental cover front raised. Fig. 3 shows the appearance ofthe garment when in use. g; 4-. is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing themanner of attaching the front members to the shoulder-straps of anotherunder garment. ig. 5 is a view of one of the shoulder straps shown inFig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectlonal view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 1, the garment comprises a backing member or bodice 10extended into shoulder portions 11 and 12 surrounding a neck opening 13,which shoulder portions continue by extensions 14 and 15 to a fulledfront piece 16 adapted to be positioned over the corset or brassiere andprovidea softly-rounded member beneath the waist or dress of the wearer.To the back member 10 is secured, by means of scams 18, a pair of flaps19, 20. The seams 18 are formed so that when the flaps 19 and 20 arebrought across the front or bust of the wearer, the said seams willextend along the body line and the flaps can be brought together andsecured by strips of fastener members 21, 22, such as books and eyes,forming a confining portion or brassiere. The flaps 19 and 20 may befitted so as to take the'proper form, as indicated at 23. It will beunderstood that different arrangements of darts than those shown can beemployed provided the side members or flaps 19 and 20 are so shaped thatwhen they are secured together they will in conjunction with the backmember 10 form a brassire or suitable supporting member for the wearer.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, straps 24 and 25 are secured to the underside of the portions 19 and 20. These little fastener straps may bepassed around the shoulder straps 26 of another undergarment where suchis worn, thus holding the brassiere smoothly in place upon the figure ofthe wearer. Other straps 49 and 50 are secured to the extensions 14 and15 and serve to hold the shoulder bands of the undergarment of thewearer in place. It hence becomes evident that the garment may be wornwithout any discomfort, giving the wearer perfect freedom of movement.

When the garment is worn by a stout person I find it advisable to makethe shoulder bands 14 and 15 elastic. as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, so asto permit the same to yield to the excess distortions of the body underthe movement of the arms. To the material in the bands 14 and 15 issewed on two edges a narrow strip of goods 27 of any desired length.Within the same is threaded a rubber band 28 which is secured at itsends to the band and to the strip 26 after the same have been suitablyShirred.

If the undergarment does not permit of attachment of the members 19 and20 as shown in Fig. 4, portions 14 and 15 may be attached directly tothe brassiere proper as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. A pair of short mentby suitable fastener members to cause the same to be as indicated inFig. 3.

The garment is especially advantageous for wear in hot weather when theuse of two separate garments is intolerable. By forming the members 19and 20 of gauze the garment is both comfortable to wear and attractivein appearance. It is a further marked advantage that the back and the.front of the brassiere are respectively held in position by theshoulder portions 14 and 15, which are connected at their front inneredges by means of. straps 29 and 30 with the brassiere in the verticalplane passing through the point of the shoulder where the back of thegarment rests at the shoulder seam, preferably as near the neck line asconvenient thus bringing the over-shoulder stress as'near the center ofthe shoulder as possible. This gives a firm support to the garment insub- I stantially a line along that part of the shoulder where it willoccasion no discomfort to the wearer; and, because the shoulder portionsare connected with the front of the brassiere at their inner edges only,does away entirely with the binding action common in brassiere or otherconfining members havin portions extending up around the front 0 the armto the shoulder. This method of connection has the further advantagethat it also supports the outer corset cover member in such manner thatthe side line thereof drops straight from the shoulder seam to the pointwhere this part of the garment is attached to the waist line of theconfining members.

I claim:

1. A garment comprising a back, side flaps secured thereto and adaptedto be fastened together at the front, said flaps being so shaped inreference to the back that when fastened they will provide a confiningmember or brassiere fitted to the bust of the wearer and a cover memberformed continuous with the back and shaped so that when said covermember is secured along its outer edge at the waist line formed by theback and side flaps the cover member will serve as a corset cover.

2. A garment comprising a back, side flaps secured thereto and adaptedto be fastened together at the front, said flaps being so' shaped inreference to theback that when fastened they will provide a confiningmember or brassiere fitted to the bust of the wearer, a cover memberformed continuous with the back and shaped so that when said covermember is secured along its outer edge at the waist line formed by theback and; side flaps the cover member will serve as a corset cover, andmeans for connecting said coverrmember with portions of said flaps toform a support for the upper edge of said brassiere extending in a linefrom the inner part of the shoulder.

3. A garment comprising a back, side flaps secured thereto and adaptedto be fastened together at the front, said flaps being so .shaped inreference to the back that when fastened they will provide a confiningmember or brassiere fitted to the bust of the wearer, a cover membercontinuous with the back and forming therewith a circular head opening,means for connecting said cover member at the front inner sides of saidopen ing to the upper portions of the brassiere so as to give supportfor the back and the upper portion of the brassiere over the shouldersclose to the neck of the wearer, and means 'for securing the outer edgeof the cover member at the waist line formed by the side flap so thatsaid cover member will serve as a corset cover. 4. In combination withthe shoulder straps of the undergarment of a wearer, a combined corsetcover and brassiere comprising a back, side flaps secured to said backextending below the arms and fastened together at the front to form. abrassiere, shoulder bands formed on said back, a cover member madecontinuous with said shoulder bands and adapted to lie over said flapsto serve as a corset cover, and means on said flaps independent of saidcover member and engaging the shoulder straps of said undergarment forsupporting said flaps and cans ing them to lie smoothly on the form ofthe wearer.

5. In combination with the shoulder straps of the undergarment of awearer, a combined corset cover and brassiere comprising a back, sideflaps secured to said back extending below the arms and fastenedtogether at the front to form a brassiere, shoulder bands formed on saidback, a cover member made continuous with said shoulder bands andadapted to lie over said flaps to serve as a corset cover, and straps onsaid front flaps adapted to be placed under the shoulder straps of saidundergarment.

6. A garment comprising a back, side flaps secured thereto and adaptedto be fastened together at the front to serve as a brassiere, shoulderbands formed with said back and being made extensible, a gathered covermember made-continuous with said 13 shoulder bands and adapted to bepositioned over the brassiere to serve as a corset cover, and means forsecurin the waistband of said cover member to the waistband of thebrassiere.

7. In combination with the shoulder straps of the undergarment of awearer, a combined corset cover and brassiere comprising a back, sideflaps secured to said back and extending below the arms and fastenedtogether at the front to form a brassiere, shoulder bands formed on saidback. a cover member made continuous with said shoulder straps andadapted to lie over said flaps to serve as a corset cover, means on saidflaps independent of said cover member and engaging the shoulder strapsof said undergarment for supporting said flaps and causing them to liesmoothly on the form of the wearer, and means on said shoulder bandsadapted to be attached, to the shoulder straps of said undergarment forholding the same in place upon the form of the wearer.

8. In combination with the shoulder straps of the undergarment of awearer, a combined corset cover and brassiere com: prising a back, sideflaps secured to said back extending below the arms and fastenedtogether at the front to form a brassiere, shoulder bands formed on saidback a cover member made continuous with said shoulder bands and adaptedto lie over said flaps to serve as a corset cover, means on said fiap'sindependent of-said cover member and engaging the shoulder straps ofsaid under-- garment for supporting said flaps and causing them to liesmoothly on the form of the wearer, and fastener members on the underside of said shoulder bands adapted to encircl the shoulder straps tohold the shoulder bands properly positioned.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DORA E. DONALDSON.

Witnesses:

F. A. WHITE-LE1, H. A. BOWMAN.

